” Ministerial champion ” for Indigenous Health Ken Wyatt toured the Derby Aboriginal Health Service with NACCHO CEO Pat Turner : See background story 2 below
Story 1
” Ministerial Champion for Wujal Wujal ” Leeanne Enoch MP, Minister for Innovation, Science and Digital Economy and Minister for Small Business recently visited the Apunipima Cape York Health Council.
Image (L-R) Director-General Jamie Merrick, Minister Enoch, Apunipima CEO Cleveland Fagan
The Minister, accompanied by the Government Champion for Wujal Wujal, Jamie Merrick, Director-General, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation met with Apunipima’s senior managers to discuss the services and activities Apunipima provides to Wujal Wujal – a remote Aboriginal community which lies 70 km south of Cooktown.
The Champions program is based around supporting Mayors and communities to achieve the social and economic outcomes which they identify as important.
Apunipima CEO Cleveland Fagan said he welcomed the visit with the Minister and Director-General.
‘We were pleased to meet with Minister Enoch and Mr. Merrick to discuss our role in supporting the community and leadership in Wujal Wujal to achieve the goals that matter to the community.’
‘Apunipima provides culturally appropriate primary health care to the people of Wujal Wujal including a GP, Maternal and Child Health Nurse and Midwife, Podiatrist, Dietitian and Diabetes Educator.’
‘There are some real success stories when it comes to the health of the people of Wujal Wujal – 100 percent of children aged 12, 24 and 60 months are fully immunised, 75 percent of newborn bubs are within the normal weight range and nearly 90 percent of clients with type 2 diabetes have a GP Management Plan in place.’
‘There are some challenges, particularly around smoking rates and obesity and we will be working with community to address these health issues.’
‘We look forward to continuing to work closely with Minister Enoch and the Queensland Government to continue to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Cape York.’
Story 2 Derby Aboriginal Health Service
Mission
To deliver holistic primary health care services which;
- Are based on the social justice principles of equity and access
- Address the needs of Aboriginal people, and
- Respect and reflect the cultural values of the communities we serve.
The Derby Aboriginal Health Service has been established by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people, with the purpose of;
- Empowering Aboriginal people in the prevention and management of ill-health, and in the promotion of well-being for individuals, families and communities, as well as;
- Empowering Aboriginal people in the processes of decision-making, planning and service delivery
History
In early 1995 Winun Ngari Aboriginal Corporation received funding from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) to carry out a comprehensive health planning exercise for Aboriginal people and communities in the Jayida Buru Ward of the Malarabah ATSIC Regional Council of the West Kimberley.
This region includes Aboriginal Communities in and around Derby town, south of Derby along the Fitzroy Valley, north east of Derby and along the Gibb River Road and Outstations north along the coast and up into the Mitchell Plateau. The Jayida Buru Health Strategy was the result of this process, and was the first health strategy for Aboriginal people in the Derby region which was developed from the Aboriginal perspective.
Amongst its findings was recognition that:
“…there appears to be little acknowledgement of the diverse needs of these population groups in the structure and operation of most mainstream services in the Derby region. These services often operate under constraints imposed by a Perth based policy and practise…and an organisational culture that excludes Aboriginal people from information and decision making”.
The Strategy outlined five key objectives;
- Aboriginal community and self-management of health related issues
- Service and program planning based on identical local health need
- A comprehensive, integrated and coordinated range of programs and services
- Equitable access to services
- Appropriate levels of resource allocation
and determined that;
“There are compelling reasons for the establishment of an Aboriginal Health Service in the Jayida Buru region; the health needs of the Aboriginal people in the region greatly exceed the capacity of the mainstream provider; the scope and models of mainstream service provision are not currently culturally appropriate or readily accessible; and there is no choice of health provider available to us.”
In April 1997 the Winun Ngari Aboriginal Corporation Committee established a Derby Aboriginal Medical Service (DAMS) Committee. This committee, with the support of the Winun Ngari Committee and Administration, began its struggle to establish a culturally appropriate health service to address the concerns raised through the Jayida Buru Health Strategy.
Funding from the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) was received in early 1997. On September 17, the first committee of the Derby Aboriginal Health Service Council was elected.
NACCHO Promotion
NACCHO has announced the publishing date for the 9 th edition of Australia’s first national health Aboriginal newspaper, the NACCHO Health News .
Publish date 6 April 2017
Working with Aboriginal community controlled and award-winning national newspaper the Koori Mail, NACCHO aims to bring relevant advertising and information on health services, policy and programs to key industry staff, decision makers and stakeholders at the grassroots level.
And who writes for and reads the NACCHO Newspaper ?
While NACCHO’s websites ,social media and annual report have been valued sources of information for national and local Aboriginal health care issues for many years, the launch of NACCHO Health News creates a fresh, vitalised platform that will inevitably reach your targeted audiences beyond the boardrooms.
NACCHO will leverage the brand, coverage and award-winning production skills of the Koori Mail to produce a 24 page three times a year, to be distributed as a ‘lift-out’ in the 14,000 Koori Mail circulation, as well as an extra 1,500 copies to be sent directly to NACCHO member organisations across Australia.
Our audited readership (Audit Bureau of Circulations) is 100,000 readers
Contact : Colin Cowell Editor
Mobile : 0401 331 251
Email : nacchonews@naccho.org.au